Sweet Child Of Mine 3 : Arms Around A Memory
by Ultrawoman
Summary: With Annaliese and Connor apparently lost forever to Quor’toth, their families and friends have had to learn to cope without them. Buffy & Spike have grown closer than ever, but the story’s not over yet...
1. Chapter 1

A/N : I had a little extra writing time for my Buffy fic this week, since I finished my latest VMars fic last week, so here it is, Part 3 of the Sweet Child Of Mine Trilogy. This will have an eventual happy ending, but its going to take a little while to fix everything! Hope you enjoy the ride :-)

Title : Arms Around A Memory - Sweet Child Of Mine, Book 3

Rating : PG-13

Summary : AU BtVS S6 / AtS S3. With Annaliese and Connor apparently lost forever to Quor'toth, their families and friends have had to learn to cope without them. Buffy & Spike have grown closer than ever, but the story's not over yet...

Disclaimer : All recognisable characters from Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel the Series belong to Joss Whedon, and not to me. Annaliese is my own invention and therefore belongs to me.

Chapter 1

"Look at you, all puffed up and manly" Spike smirked as Xander heard him and jumped half a mile in the air, yelping like a girl.

"Spike!" he snapped as he turned from the mirror to look at the vampire who had not been in evidence in the glass, "You diabolical fiend" he said, eyes narrowing at the bleached blond, who continued to smirk in annoying fashion.

"What did you do now?" Buffy asked from the doorway, catching both their attention.

She stood with her hands on her hips, a vision as always, in spite of her ghastly green bridesmaid's dress.

"Just havin' a joke with the groom, luv" her boyfriend told her, trying to look all innocent but not pulling it off too well, "Calm his nerves and all, y'know"

"Calm my nerves?" Xander echoed, his voice high-pitched and squeaky, "By killing me via a heart-attack? Is that how you were gonna calm my nerves, Spike?" he checked, as the vampire rolled his eyes.

"Bloody hell" he cursed, "There's just no helpin' some people" he complained as he moved across the room, slumping down into a chair as Buffy hurried over to Xander and did a much better job of making him calm.

"We don't have time for all this" she told him, reaching up to his bow tie and helping him tie it correctly, "It's a big day, Mr Harris" she told him with a smile, "Gotta look your best"

"Yeah, big day" he echoed, "Guess I have to start being like a real grown-up now I'm doing the whole marriage and a kid thing"

"Good luck with that" Spike muttered, as if to imply the boy had no idea how to cope.

In reality he knew better than to think Xander was incapable, and the look that passed between the two 'friends' proved the point. They didn't hate each other like they appeared to, they couldn't, not anymore. Having seen Spike go through all that he had with Annaliese, first getting the chance to be a father then having that chance cruelly snatched away, Xander had to have at least a little respect for the vampire.

In the same way, Spike had watched as the boy finally became a man, learnt to be the adult he'd need to be if he was to be a proper husband to Anya and a good father to their child when he or she was born.

"I'm going to have to have a serious talk with your best... best-woman" Buffy amended when she realised she'd almost said the wrong word, after all Xander had balked tradition somewhat by choosing Willow rather than a male friend to stand beside him at the ceremony. It made sense though, they'd been best friends since they were in footy-pyjamas

"Yeah, I think she's a little too busy yelling about her dress to worry about me" Xander smiled, "She wanted to do the sexy lady-tux thing but Ahn was determined all you girls had to match and not outshine her. Not that anybody could for me" he sighed.

"Oh please" Spike rolled his eyes, "Some of us have recently eaten" he complained.

"Like you don't love the Buffster just as much as I love Anya?" Xander challenged him as the blonde turned to look at her man.

"S'pose I do at that" Spike admitted with a smirk as she beamed back at him.

"Hey" Willow grinned as he came in the door, "I left Tara listening to Anya practise her vows for the forty-seventh time" she joked, "I finally escaped by telling her I had to go make sure Xander hadn't run away whilst we weren't looking" she giggled, as Buffy took hold of Spike's hand and led him to the door, leaving the two old friends alone.

"Like I'd run out on her... again, today of all days..." Xander was saying as they left the room, closing the door behind them.

"So, did I ever actually get around to telling you how very handsome you look today?" Buffy asked as she slid her arms up around Spike's neck.

"You did" he told her, "but feel free to show your appreciation for my efforts as many times as you like, pet" he said with a smirk as his hands went to her waist and he pulled her closer, into a kiss.

"I'll forgive you for not returning the favour and telling me how perfect I look in my dress" Buffy rolled her eyes, knowing they all looked equally frightful in the luminous green monstrosities into which Anya had forced them.

"You could be head to toe in scales, luv, you'd still be the most gorgeous woman I know" Spike promised her, "Inside and out"

She didn't have a verbal answer to give to that, but he didn't object to the alternative response he got as her lips locked onto his once again.

They were quite lost in each other, to the point where they barely noticed Giles appear beside them, not until he coughed for a fourth time, almost choking himself in the process of claiming their attention.

"My, my Rupert" Spike said, head tilting to one side as he stared at the Watcher, "Ought to do somethin' about that cough, y'know, sounds like you might be comin' down with something nasty"

"Yes, Spike, very droll, I'm sure" Giles dead-panned, "Now if the two of you have quite disentangled yourselves, do you think we might get on with this wedding for which we are assembled?"

"I think we might" Buffy agreed with a nod as they moved along the corridor towards the main hall where the ceremony would take place.

Giles took a detour to the room where the bride was preparing herself, tapping on the door before entering. In the absence of any real family, Anya had asked her employer and friend to give her away at the wedding, something that had annoyed D'Hoffryn at first, but then he had realised that wanting to be part of such a ridiculous human ritual would be against his nature anyway. He attended as nothing more than a guest, along with Halfrek, and various other demons with whom Anyanka had once been close friends.

Xander soon appeared with Willow, passing by Buffy and Spike who both wished the young man luck. Mostly of course it was the Slayer that said the words, but her vampire love nodded along as if it counted for him as well.

"Looks like we're just about ready" Buffy sighed as she looked at the highly decorated room with all it's flowers and trimmings, the seats all full of family, friends, and demons, "Everybody's here" she said, turning to glance at Spike, "Well, almost" she added sadly, going into his arms for a hug.

"Got you thinking too, has it, pet?" he said softly, kissing the top of her head, "Happy occasion, family and friends all gathered..."

"Dawn and Annaliese should be here" she said what they both already felt as they held each other in comfort.

"Come on, luv, chin up" he told her after a moment as he heard rustling behind the door down the corridor and knew the bride was getting ready to make her big entrance, "Gotta do this right for your mates, haven't we? Can't dwell too long on the past"

Buffy nodded that he was right as she pulled out of his arms and readied herself for walking down the aisle. She fixed on the appropriate smile just as Anya emerged, and Spike hurried to take his seat towards the front of the crowd.

"Oh my God" Anya giggled as she reached where Buffy stood, Tara to her other side, "I'm getting married!" she grinned, "Isn't it just the happiest day?"

"It really is" Buffy forced a brighter smile back at her friend as they made their entrance to the string quartet that played in the corner.

As she walked along down the aisle, Buffy couldn't help but let her thoughts linger on what she and Spike had been talking about. There should be two more bridesmaids; the girl that no-one remembered, and the other who would be headed towards her first birthday were she still here. Heaven only knew where either of them were now, if they were anywhere, and Buffy's heart ached to think of them.

Spike was smiling at her when she tuned back into the world and it gave her a little strength. She managed a smile back at him, as she completed her trip down the aisle and the bride and groom stood beside each other looking towards the minister who would make them a married couple.

* * *

"'S always been your problem, Slayer" Spike sighed as he and Buffy swayed together to the music at the reception after Xander and Anya's wedding ceremony. 

"Problem?" the Slayer echoed with a frown, not understanding what he meant.

"You think too bloody much" he told her, "Too much about stuff you can't change, and that you can't get back. Past is gone, luv, let it be" he urged her, though he knew he too had problems with it. He thought of his little baby girl every day, and more than once too. She'd been gone weeks, even months now, but she would always be his precious daughter, and a part of him would always be hoping against hope he'd get Annaliese back one day.

"I can't help wishing" Buffy told him, resting her head on his chest as they continued to dance.

"I know, pet" Spike admitted, "Me too, but this is s'posed to be a celebration, for your mates and all" he reminded her, "Ought to turn the frown upside down, just a while longer"

"Better?" she asked, faux smile back in place and he smirked.

"It'll do, I s'pose" he told her, giving her a brief kiss.

There was a weird look on his face when he pulled away and his eyes went towards the door.

"What is it?" Buffy asked, smile dissolving again into a concerned expression.

"Don't you feel it?" he checked, eyes trained on a spot just past the doors to the hall.

"Not really" the blonde admitted, "What exactly am I supposed to be..."

"Ssh" he hushed her as he grabbed her hand and they hurried towards the doors, almost knocking a few people flying on the way through.

The pair stood in the small foyer before the doors that led outside, looking around at the nothingness that filled the space.

"Somethin' here, Slayer" Spike told her, "Somethin' bad"

"Actually here or...?" Buffy started to ask, but he shook his head, "Spike I don't understand" she admitted, wondering what he was getting at.

Before he had a chance to explain, Willow appeared, asking them why they were hanging around out here when they should be inside, since Anya was about to toss the bouquet and then the happy couple would be headed off on their honeymoon.

"Sorry, Red" Spike smiled amiably at the witch with whom he got along reasonably well these days, "Fancied a spot of alone time with the Slayer here" he told her, "Reckon I ought to try and contain myself til we get back home, right?"

Willow giggled at that, ushering the couple back into the hall. Buffy turned to Spike and opened her mouth to ask for an explanation but he shook his head, the look on his face telling her it was in fact this which they would contain until they got home. Something bad was happening somewhere, something was coming, and if it was bothering Spike as much as it seemed to, Buffy wasn't looking forward to whatever it was.

To Be Continued...


	2. Chapter 2

A/N : Thanx so much to all the fab reviewers! I love that you're all having theories about whats happening here - I won't say you're right, but I won't say you're wrong either! Just keep on reading and reviewing, I'll keep on writing, and you'll find out what really is happening:-)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 2

"Something bad but you can't figure out what it is?" Buffy asked Spike as she handed him a mug of warm blood and joined him on the couch, cradling her own mug of hot cocoa between her hands.

"I dunno, luv" he sighed, shaking his head, "'S like there was somethin' in that hall, like a voice I couldn't quite hear, or a scent I couldn't quite smell" he said thoughtfully, "Could just be my over-active imagination but..."

"But it could be real" Buffy noted, "Real and bad, and honestly, I'd rather be prepared for the worst case scenario"

"How can we prepare if I can't even tell you what it is that's coming?" Spike asked with a smirk, "Even you can't manage that, pet"

"Hey, I was born ready for anything" the Slayer told him with a similarly cocky smile, "and now I have you with me, there's nothing I can't face"

The couple shared a kiss, both experiencing the strange taste of chocolate and blood as their lips and then tongues met - they were quite used to it by now.

"Still, bloody hard work telling you what to be ready for if I can't even wrap my head around it myself" Spike sighed when they parted, "Seems to me we ought to get your Watcher and the Wiccas on the case tomorrow"

"Sounds like a plan" Buffy agreed, as a yawn over took her, "Tonight is so not the night for research, I think Willow and Tara both got a little giddy on the champagne and the last I saw of Giles he was getting pretty darn friendly with one of Xander's aunts"

"There's a mental image that doesn't bear thinking of" Spike shuddered, "Of all the horrors I've seen, I think even I'd run screaming like a ponce from the sight of old Ripper getting his jollies"

"I see your shudder and raise you an eew" Buffy nodded, "It's just not of the good"

"Agreed" Spike said as he took the mug she held in her hands and put it on the table along with his own, "So, how about we find some way to take our minds off that and everything else?" he suggested, moving in close to her and capturing her lips with his.

"We could do that" she said softly, when he gave her a moment to breathe, hands already working on getting each other out of their clothes.

Buffy and Spike had barely made it to the bedroom before their passion overtook them, still it didn't bother them too much whether they did or didn't these days. Willow and Tara had gotten a place of their own a while ago now, as both couples felt they needed a little more privacy than they could really get through paper thin walls. A lot of help from Giles meant there was enough cash to keep the house running for a while, and with Buffy working as much as she could, and Spike even helping out by earning a healthy sum of cash as a bouncer at one of the nastier demon clubs on the Hellmouth, things were going surprisingly well for the blond couple.

Now as they lay spent together in their bed, Buffy couldn't help the smile that filled her face. Life wasn't a bowl of cherries, it was never going to be perfect, but right now it was good. When she managed not to dwell too much on the loss of her Mom, or Dawn, or Annaliese, she could instead concentrate on what she had in her life now. Her great friends and father figure, a baby that would be kind of her niece when it came along, and most important if all, she had Spike.

Right now as she lay beside him, watching him sleep, Buffy couldn't imagine why she'd kept pushing him away so long. They were happy, so much so the Slayer almost felt bad about it. They shouldn't be able to go on with their lives, or in Spike's case unlife, when they'd lost so many people that should be so important. This was how she often thought, but when she mentioned it Spike would always tell her the same thing.

"They loved us, pet, just like we loved them" he'd tell her gently, "They wouldn't want us to sit around and cry for them, they'd want us to move on and be happy, and remember them with a smile, not a tear"

For a supposedly soulless creature, he said some beautiful things sometimes, and Buffy wondered at this man, how he could be such a paradox. Vampires by their very nature were that, she supposed, but Spike was different in a whole other way too. So much more a man than the demon he ought to be, and yet he didn't technically possess a soul, only a chip that stopped him causing physical harm to any human. Though she was sure that had been when he'd started to change, the days and weeks that followed his escape from the Initiative with a lump of silicone in his head, Buffy knew that what Spike told her was true, that she had made the biggest change in his existence. She who had somehow charmed him and challenged him enough that she caused him to fall in love with her.

Buffy knew that falling in love had changed her too, first Angel years ago, and now Spike. Her relationship with the first vampire had taught her a lot about growing up, and rather more than she needed to know about pain. This new love she had with Spike, it taught her about companionship, and passion, and somehow she was even learning to lean a little on someone else, whilst sharing their load too.

As another yawn took over, Buffy decided now was not the time to be getting comtemplatey. She needed sleep, especially if Spike was right about some kind of Big Bad coming. It'd fit into the schedule, she thought, as she snuggled down under the covers, shifting into Spike's cool embrace as he opened his arms to her even in his semi-state of sleep. Something nasty was due to pop up any time now, and as sure as sunlight killed vampires, it would come, and again they'd all be fighting for their lives and the world, except Anya and Xander of course who were on honeymoon for the next two weeks, a collective present from the whole gang.

For now, Buffy forced herself to rest, safe and happy in her lovers arms. Whatever was coming would come, and they'd deal when it did. For a few hours everything would be as it should be, calm and peaceful.

* * *

Buffy was woken by the bed shaking beneath her, and yelling loud enough to wake the dead coming from the man beside her, though ironically he himself slept on.

"Spike!" she called as she flipped on the lamp and began trying to rouse him, "Spike, wake up, it's a bad dream!" she told him, and suddenly he was still, his eyes popping open and looking almost wild as he stared up at her.

"No" he said hoarsely, swallowing hard, "No, it's not" he shook his head on the pillow, "I don't..." he started to say, when he was interrupted by the phone downstairs ringing loudly.

"I'll go" Buffy said quickly jumping out of bed, wrapping her robe around her, and hurrying downstairs.

She grabbed up the phone and shakily said hello.

"Buffy, it's Angel" said the vampire on the other end of the line, and immediately Buffy's heart-rate quickened at the prospect of being told something awful was coming.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, knowing something must be, and already wondering if it was connected to whatever Spike suspected of being on it's way. She glanced up as the bleached blond followed her down the stairs in just his jeans, looking more shaken up than one would expect from a mere nightmare.

"Cordy had a vision" Angel said in her ear and Spike came to stand close, able to hear the conversation from both sides now with his vampire hearing, "Something's coming to Sunnydale, Buffy, something you're not expecting"

"Actually, Peaches, you're a bit wrong there" Spike told his grand-sire as he slid the phone from Buffy's grasp before she barely noticed he was planning to, "Knew something was coming, sensed it, felt it, got the bloody technicolor nightmare if you must know"

"Nightmare?" Angel frowned as he echoed the word back.

"What, did I stutter?" Spike checked with an eye roll, "Yes, a bleedin' nightmare you daft sod. Now stick the soddin' cheerleader on the phone and lets see if we can't match up a few important points between her brain pictures and mine"

Though Angel was less than happy at being spoken to in such a tone or being ordered around by Spike, what his grand-childe said made sense and with a grumble he handed the telephone to Cordelia.

"Buffy?" she checked, not aware the phone had been passed over.

"Spike actually, luv" he told her, "Seems you and me might've been sharin' thoughts, me in a dream, you in one of your head-cracking visions, so be a pet and do tell me just exactly what you saw?"

"Okay, so first like a flash of Sunnydale main street, then fire and blood" Cordy recounted, shuddering slightly at the thought of all she'd borne witness too behind her eyes, "then some kind of forcefield, maybe a portal or an explosion of energy"

"Sounding familiar so far" Spike said grimly, knowing he'd be breaking out on a cold sweat by now if he weren't already cold from death, "Go on, pet" he urged Cordelia who did as she was asked.

"Then... I don't know, it all kind of mixed into one, with screaming and yelling and... and then nothing" she said thoughtfully, as if she ought to know what came next but was unable it find it in her head.

"Nothing, like white, blank, and empty?" Spike asked and Cordy nearly spoke right over him as she excitedly replied in the positive.

"Yes, exactly!" she yelled, "Like a peaceful kind of... white nothingness"

"Seems we really were seein' the same thing then" Spike told her, "To the letter"

"It's not good, is it?" Cordy checked.

She already knew that if she was getting visions about it, the Powers That Be were worried and wanted Angel there to help. Still, she had been the one to convince her man that instead of barging into another hero's stomping ground, maybe it was best to call and simply warn Buffy, and indeed Spike who they knew was her live-in lover these days.

"You know the answer to that, pet" he said, thrusting the phone back into Buffy's hands, and telling her with a simple look that they needed to end the call and move. The Slayer did just that, thanking Cordy for her call, and agreeing that it might be a good plan for the seer and her vampire boss at least to come over from LA as back-up as soon as they could. They would leave the rest of the gang at home, it made sense to have them covering there.

By the time Buffy was done on the phone and turned around, she found Spike with half the contents of her weapons chest spread over the floor.

"Spike" she said worriedly, "Please tell me, what is going on?"

"Me and your cheerleader friend saw the same thing" he explained as he selected the weapons he thought might be useful, "I was right, something's coming, and it's not waiting for Team Angel to roll up and take charge either"

"Now?" Buffy checked wide-eyed, "It's coming now?"

"Dunno, luv" Spike admitted, "But it feels bloody close, and it's coming right into the main street of your home town, fit to tear the place apart"

Buffy didn't need telling twice, not when she could see a look of almost fear in her lover's eyes. He seldom if ever got freaked out by anything, but this had shaken him up badly.

Grabbing the phone, Buffy ran up the stairs dialling Willow & Tara's number on the way. In her room she got dressed in record time, all the while holding the phone beneath her chin and asking her Wicca friends to meet them on main street as soon as possible. She considered calling Giles but with the amount of liquor he'd put away she doubted he'd be much use in a battle such as this.

Rushing back down the stairs, she tossed the rest of Spike's clothes to him and selected weapons for herself as he finished dressing.

"Ready, luv?" the vampire checked as he picked up a two headed axe and glanced over at his Slayer who was brandishing a broad-sword.

"Like I told you already, Spike" she said as she walked by him, kissing him briefly as she did so, "I was born ready"

To Be Continued...


	3. Chapter 3

A/N : Thought for the day - Reviewers are the coolest people on the web :-)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 3

"I'm never drinking champagne again" Willow groaned as she sat on the kerb in Sunnydale's main street, clutching her head.

"I did try to stop you, sweetie" her girlfriend reminded her with a gentle smile.

"Well, I didn't know I was gonna be going into battle right after I drank it" the red-head sighed, "This wasn't exactly the plan for the evening" she said glancing over at Spike with a look that told him exactly what hers and Tara's plans had been.

"So sorry to screw up your love life, pet" the vampire rolled his eyes, "but this is a bloody emergency, y'know"

"Spike's right" Buffy agreed, though she knew her Wiccan friends already understood it anyway, "If Cordy's getting visions about something happening here, and Spike's dreaming almost the exact same thing, I don't think it's going to lead to hugs and puppies"

"It's good that Xander and Anya got their wedding day all done before this happened" Tara considered, "Th-they deserved a nice day"

"That they did, pet" Spike smiled at her.

He hadn't meant to get angry at her or Willow, honestly he liked the two witches, they were the first to really accept the relationship between himself and Buffy, and he would always love them a little bit for that. He had no right to be liked by such good people, and yet here they were, totally okay with the fact he and the Slayer were together, and completely accepting of his daughter when she was still around.

"I wish we knew what was coming" Buffy sighed, "I'd feel a whole lot better if I had some idea what kind of ass I need to kick"

"Right there with you, luv" Spike told her, leaning back against a lamp post and lighting up a cigarette, a habit he'd almost managed to give up when Annaliese was around. Now he was back on the fags, mostly when he was nervous or jittery about something, like right now.

"So your vision-dream didn't show you the demon?" Willow checked she understood, "and Cordy's didn't either?"

"Not as such" Spike told her, blowing out smoke, "Mostly it was just a vibe, a feeling like something big, bad, and nasty is comin' to town, and it's real pissed off too"

"Oh" was all Willow could think of to say.

As the champagne from earlier made her head spin like a manic gyroscope once again, she swallowed hard, and wished she was anywhere but here. How her best friend's wedding day had turned into such a fiasco she had no idea. She'd hoped for just one pleasant and quiet day on the Hellmouth, but it seemed it was impossible. Some kind of Big Bad was coming and in all honesty she didn't really feel in any fit state to fight it, nevertheless she and Tara were here, to stand side by side with Buffy and Spike and take on whatever was thrown at them.

Sometimes she wished she had their strength, even now when her powers were as advanced as they had become over the past couple of years. Though Slayer strength and vampire abilities played a big part, Willow knew the real strength in these two came from within. They coped so well with the loss of those they loved, first Buffy lost her Mom, then Spike lost his daughter, and somehow they'd banded together and found a way to carry on and do their jobs. It was incredible to the red-head, who was sure that if she ever lost anybody she loved that much, it would finish her.

"You okay, sweetie?" Tara checked as she caught her girlfriend staring her oddly.

"Uh-huh" she nodded, forcing a smile, "I just, I love you" she said simply, causing her girlfriend to blush slightly and duck her face behind her hair, after all they were in the middle of the street and Buffy and Spike were right there.

"I love you" she responded in kind a moment later, and the two shared a smile.

The sweet moment didn't last as Spike started yelling.

"Mojo on standby, ladies" he warned them, as they started to feel what he was getting, the ground and sky both rumbling in unison around them, "Whatever's on it's way, I think it's bloody here"

* * *

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Cordelia complained as Angel drove them towards Sunnydale, "I mean, thank God we're not trying to catch a road-runner demon, we'd be pretty crappy at it"

"Are you comparing my car to Wile E Coyote?" Angel checked, looking both confused and offended, "This is a classic Cordelia, and we're going fast enough. I'm already way over the limit"

"It's not over the limit enough" she complained, "Angel, you didn't see that vision, you didn't feel what I felt..."

"I know" the vampire agreed, eyes flitting between her and the road ahead, "but you haven't got this upset about a vision in a while, Cordy. Why was this one different?"

"Because I wasn't the only one to see it" she explained, "And because it's in Sunnydale. You do remember what happened last time we visited, right?"

The look he gave her told Cordelia in no uncertain terms that of course he remembered, and that he was far from thrilled that she'd asked that question.

"I'm sorry" she said softly, "I know you remember, I know you could never forget, and I, I... argh!" she suddenly screamed, her hand going to her head as another vision hit her.

It was awfully graphic as she saw Buffy, Spike, Willow, Tara, all blown back down the street by a powerful blast. Fire and lightning, a forcefield that threatened to almost blow buildings out of it's way. Such power, Cordy was scared half to death just from feeling a fraction of it through her second-sight.

"Cordelia! Cordy, can you hear me?" Angel was asking her as she came out of it.

He'd pulled the car over and was glad he had when she was released from her trance and grabbed at him, needing at least a few moments of comfort.

"What happened? What did you see?" he was asking her as he held her close, trying not to sound panicked in an effort to soothe her.

"It's bad, Angel" she told him as she pulled from his arms and looked him in the eye, "Whatever it is, it's an even bigger deal than we thought. We have to get there, now"

"We will" he promised her, though they had a few miles to go and not that much power left in the car to make it go any faster than they had been, but he'd try.

He hadn't seen Cordelia look this scared in a good long while. LA and the work they did there had hardened her to a lot of horrors. For her to be this worked up over a vision, she'd seen and felt something very powerful and very bad.

Angel put the car in gear, pulled back onto the road and put his foot on the gas. He didn't relish the prospect of facing whatever Big Bad was coming to Sunnydale, but he had a job to do, that's why he was here.

* * *

The Slayer, her vampire boyfriend, and two witch friends scrambled to get up from the floor where they had literally been blown onto their backs by the force of something as yet unseen.

"What the...?" Spike began to ask, but he received his answer before he'd even had time to pose the question.

It wasn't quite a portal, but something was warping the space in front of them, pushing and pulling as if it were trying to rip a hole into the very fabric of space and time, and punch it's way into Sunnydale right now.

Buffy opened her mouth to ask Willow and Tara if there was a way to stop whatever it was getting in, but she didn't get a chance as an almighty explosion threatened to blind them all.

As they shielded their eyes from the bright red/orange light, they missed what it had brought forth from the beyond. They soon noticed the beast, as it bellowed like the monster it was.

"Oh my God" Buffy gasped, her eyes going wide at the sight of a demon, at least seven feet tall and almost as wide, with scales, and horns, and every possible bad ugly feature a demon could have. She'd never seen anything like it in her life, and honestly, she wished she wasn't seeing it now.

Before she had a chance to speak, or form any kind of strategy, Spike went with his usual fight plan and dived right in with a battle cry that was, ironically, loud enough to wake the dead. The Slayer followed his lead, brandishing her weapon and using it the best way she could to hack at any part of the demon threatening to come near her.

Willow and Tara scrambled into action, hands clasped together as they conjured up the first thing they could think of that might be useful. A fireball was soon present in the street, right above the heads of the two Wiccans who had made it appear. With a mighty push of their collective powers they shot it towards the beast.

"Buffy, Spike, down!" Willow yelled, and they both got out of the way as the ball of fire flew at the demon, smashing into it's face and temporarily blinding it.

The distraction helped the Slayer and vampire to gain the upper hand for a while, but it was soon clear that the two of them alone would not be enough to bring the Godzilla-type beast down. The witches were clearly off their mojoing game, and weren't exactly as handy with a sword or axe as they might be.

Buffy was starting to worry about this when suddenly a loud crash emanated from the sky, like thunder with a lightening strike to accompany it, but much more powerful than any storm that the Slayer had ever seen.

With a blinding flash, not unlike the one that had brought forth the demon, something else appeared, looking to Spike as if it, or more specifically they, had been dropped from the sky. Two figures landed deftly on their feet behind the demon that was not expecting the attack to suddenly come from two sides.

Not given a chance to question to arrival of the new fighters, who seemed as eager to finish off this demon as they were, Buffy and Spike swung back into action, hacking and slashing at the beast before them. They hadn't noticed yet that the spell their Wiccan friends had earlier performed had an adverse effect on them both, though mostly Willow. They had since retreated to a shop doorway out of harms way, Tara holding on tight to her girlfriend, watching the fight before her with fear etched on her features. This was perhaps the most trouble she'd seen Spike and Buffy have with any demon in a good long while, and whilst the arrival of two extra fighters gave her some comfort, she worried about who they might be, what they might want, and how they had suddenly appeared out of the sky like they had.

"Slayer, now!" Spike said suddenly catching both the witches attention.

They watched as the vampire distracted the demon momentarily, allowing Buffy the chance to plunge her sword into what they assumed to be the creatures heart. Luckily they were right this time and with an almighty roar the demon finally died, one weapon embedded in it's chest, another in it's spinal column.

As the beast fell to it's side, it revealed the new arrivals to the Hellmouths protectors. Spike's features formed into a frown as he eyed the dark haired girl that stood before him, her eyes lighting up at the very sight of him. She was maybe sixteen or seventeen years old, pale and pretty, but battle-scarred more than her girl her age ought to be, and those eyes, he knew them so well...

"Daddy!" the stranger suddenly squealed, rushing into Spike's arms and hugging him tight.

It was Annaliese.

To Be Continued...

A/N : Yeah, so a lot of you guessed that was coming - am I getting boring and predictable or what?!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N : So many lovely reviews, make me so happy - thanx to you all :-)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 4

"Bloody hell!" Spike gasped as he held his daughter close.

She and Connor had been babes in arms when they disappeared into the oblivion that was Quor'toth, and yet somehow, just a few short months later, they were back, and at least sixteen if they were a day.

"I'm so glad we found you" Annaliese cried as her arms stayed firmly locked around her father, "I was so afraid, if the calculations were wrong, if we didn't get here in time..."

"Ssh, ssh, luv, 's alright" Spike told her, rubbing her back soothingly.

Buffy watched the scene before her with wide eyes, as did Willow and Tara, approaching slowly from behind the Slayer.

"If that's Annaliese..." Buffy said slowly, her eyes going from the girl to the boy she'd arrived with, "Connor?" she checked.

"Yeah" the boy nodded once, looking awkward, "If Annie's right, you must be Buffy, the Vampire Slayer"

"I... I am" she confirmed, though she couldn't really understand how either of these people should know who she was.

Sure, she'd helped Spike out when Annaliese was born, and Angel had brought Connor to her a few days before the two kids were lost to the hell dimension, but they were tiny babies, there was just no way they could possibly remember anybody. Annaliese it seemed remembered her father perfectly clearly and had told Connor all about Buffy.

"We have so much to tell you" Annaliese smiled, wiping tears from her face as she finally pulled away from her father and looked at not only him but also Buffy and the two Wiccans.

"I'll bet you bloody do" Spike half-smiled, not sure what to make of all this, "First off, I'd love to know how the sodding hell you got back here"

"That was mostly down to Annaliese" Connor explained, looking at the group of people as if he felt like the odd one out.

"Not everything went according to plan" Annaliese shook her head, dark hair swinging around her head as she did so, "Angel and Cordelia were supposed to be here" she explained sadly, feeling Connor's pain.

They'd both been so excited to see their fathers again, and whilst she had got hers, his was not there.

"They-they're on their way" Tara stammered, "They'll be so pl-pleased to see you, Connor" she told the boy who offered up a half-smile at that.

He was a handsome young man, not dissimilar to his father, Buffy noticed, but with much less broodiness behind his eyes. Wide eyes and the way he smiled gave away that he was Darla's son too. Spike could see both grand-sire and great-grand-sire in the boy, though honestly he had trouble tearing his gaze from his own child.

His girl, his daughter. Annaliese had Dru's hair and delicate features, but it was Spike's own eyes that gazed back at him, clear and blue. She was no less than beautiful, he thought, though Spike considered perhaps he were a little biased since she was his own daughter.

"Um, so we should get you home, to our house" Buffy said suddenly, realising they were currently standing in the middle of the street, gawking at each other like a bunch of freaks, with a large demon body right there beside them.

She eyed the creature warily as if she expected it to come back to life and attack again; tonight she wouldn't be surprised by anything.

"You should go" Willow agreed, "Tara and me, we can deal with the big ugly" she assured her friend.

"Are you sure, Will?" the Slayer checked, "You didn't look so full of the magicks before"

"I'm okay now" she promised, though her head still felt a little delicate, a combination of the champagne she'd drunk and the spells she'd cast.

"We can do it" Tara nodded and smiled, "You should be with Spike and the kids" she said, feeling silly for using that particular word given how much the babies had grown up since their disappearance.

In a few short months they must've aged sixteen years at least, and as the foursome headed off to Revello Dive together, Buffy was eager to know how it had happened, as well as how they were back, and why.

* * *

"Right then" Spike said as he removed his leather coat and took a seat in the armchair, "S'pose now's the time for your story, luv" he told his daughter as she sat down on the couch with Connor.

Buffy hovered awkwardly at the door, never feeling so out of place in her own home. She was so pleased to see Annaliese, but the fact remained she wasn't her real daughter, and Connor was even less connected.

"C'mon, pet" Spike told the Slayer as three pairs of eye turned to look other and Annaliese smiled widely.

"Yes, Buffy, please come here and join us" she said, in an accent that was almost entirely English but with a hint of something American too, "You were a part of my life too, as big a part as my Dad"

"Maybe I could've been, if you'd stayed with us" Buffy agreed with a sad smile as she came and perched on the arm of the chair in which Spike sat, "After Holtz took you..."

"You thought you'd never see us again" Connor filled in, knowing from the things Annie told him that it was true, "We always knew we'd see our real parents again, and that Holtz and Justine weren't them" he explained, "At least, Annie knew that"

"I have visions" she explained, "I think I get them from Drusilla" she said, looking down at her hands as if she thought she shouldn't have mentioned her mother.

Spike saw her trouble and reached for her hand, getting her attention.

"You can talk about her, luv" he assured her, "For all that she was, and she was no saint" he said with a wry smile, "She was your mother"

"None of you were saints" Connor cut in, his tone both bitter and a little angry, "We know what you were, what you all did"

"Connor!" Annaliese snapped, "You're talking about our parents, all of them"

"Yeah, all four of them" he agreed with a nod, "My father was probably the worst of all of them, and I'm not going to pretend anything else"

"You reckon your Dad was as badass as all that? Guess again, mate" Spike told him with a smirk, "Yeah, Angelus was an evil sod in his day, famed for it. Buffy here will tell you what he can be" he glanced at the blonde, who shuddered involuntarily at a couple of less than pleasant memories, "Fact is, your Mum taught him near on everything he knew. She was far from the realms of heaven too, alright?"

As much as Spike hated his grand-sire, and he really did, he wasn't about to have this boy feel that kind of thing towards old Peaches, not when it was at least partially unwarranted. After all they were father and son, and Spike knew it would've damned near killed him to have Annaliese come back angry at him and/or afraid of him. He'd been a monster, Spike admitted that, to himself and everyone. Angel, Darla, Dru, none of them had been wholesome people, not people at all, but demons, vampires, evil creatures of the night. Fact of it was, the Powers That Be must've seen some light in the darkness of their lack of soul, or why would they have granted these children to them?

"I'm sorry if this sounds like a really stupid question" Buffy began, feeling a little silly and still quite out of place, despite the fact Spike had a hold of her hand now as they sat together, facing the two miraculous teens, "but Giles, my Watcher, he seemed to think it was impossible for people to get back from the Quor'toth, but here you are"

"It is impossible" Connor agreed, "Almost, anyway, but we've known since we were kids that we were supposed to come back here, and that one day we would"

"I started getting visions when I was five" Annaliese explained, answering the question that both Spike and Buffy were thinking and yet hadn't quite got a chance to voice, "You would think a kid of five should've been scared of the pain and the violent pictures, but I never was. My first vision came in a dream, but it was much more vivid than any dream I'd had before. You were so clear to me" she smiled at her father and the Slayer.

"You saw us, luv?" Spike checked, and his little girl, who was not so little anymore, nodded her head.

"I saw you and I knew just exactly who you were" she told them, "I saw you cry for my loss, and then find comfort in each other. I knew my home was here, and that one day I'd be back"

"But you were just a little kid" Buffy shook her head, "And Holtz and Justine, they..."

"I didn't tell them" Annaliese said quickly, "I never told them anything. The only person I ever talked to about anything, was Connor" she smiled at the boy beside her, who returned the look, the connection between them evident from that one glance alone.

"Holtz and Justine died" the boy said flatly, "They didn't have the gifts we have, they couldn't survive in Quor'toth"

"Gifts you have?" Buffy echoed, realising she was doing a lot of that, "I'm sorry, I sound like a parrot"

"It's okay" Annaliese smiled, "There's a lot of things that probably don't make sense. Like us being so much older"

"No, that part I understand" the Slayer assured her, as Spike frowned slightly and looked up at her, "Quor'toth was... is a hell dimension. Time moves slower there, so you spend years in that place, whilst just a few weeks pass here in this world"

"Exactly" Annaliese agreed, as all three people looked to Buffy, wondering where that sudden explanation had come from.

"Been there, done that" she said with an eye roll, "Some freaky preacher guy in LA turned out to be a demon with a portal to a hell dimension. It was a whole big thing, and a long time ago now" she told them with a shake of her head that said they didn't need to be getting into that right now.

"Okay, so that part makes sense to everybody" Annaliese said thankfully, mentally crossing it off the list, one less thing to have to explain herself, "but I guess there's other stuff you want to know?" she assumed.

"Er, well, yeah but..." Spike wasn't sure where to begin, "Honestly, luv, all I want to know is if you're okay and if there's any chance I'm gonna lose you again, because honestly, pet, I don't reckon I could bear it"

"I'm not going anywhere, Dad, I swear" his daughter promised him, "At least, not on purpose"

"Er, is my Dad and Cordelia on their way or..?" Connor asked, again feeling a little left out as Annie connected with her old family and he had no-one here to care that he was back.

"Oh yeah, they are" Buffy assured him, "They should be here soon, I guess the drive from LA was rough going tonight"

"I guess" he nodded, though he looked far from thrilled right now.

Connor wanted his reunion too, for his Dad and Cordy to be as thrilled to see him as it seemed Spike and Buffy were to see Annaliese. This was their home now, their world. It was very different to Quor'toth, more peaceful and still, less with the demons, destruction, and hellfire. He could get to like it, he thought to himself, as he gripped Annie's hand tighter in his. So long as she was with him, he could deal with being anywhere.

To Be Continued...


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Every review makes me smile :-) Here's another chapter for you all!

_(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)_

Chapter 5

"Hey" Buffy said as she came into the kitchen to find Spike leant over the counter, with his back to her.

She wondered at first why he didn't answer but soon realised as she came closer and found him drinking down blood like it was going out of style. He'd used a lot of strength tonight, been through a stressful time, and he hadn't had that much nourishment the day before with the wedding and everything.

"Sorry, pet" he apologised as he put the mug down on the table, his vampire face sliding away as he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, "Been needin' that a while but... in front of Annaliese, I couldn't..."

"I know" Buffy nodded, "But y'know she's a big girl now, she seems to understand a lot" the Slayer said as she went into Spike's arms and hugged him.

They hadn't got a chance to talk since before the battle that brought back the children. Now the young pair had gone upstairs to get some rest, the activities of the day and following night having caught up with them at last, Buffy and Spike now had the chance to think about what all this meant for everybody.

"'S bloody fantastic havin' her back" he said as he thought of the daughter he thought had been lost forever, "But all that time, growing up in that place..."

"She's turned out okay, Spike" Buffy reminded him as she looked him in the eye, "That place doesn't seem like it's damaged her or Connor. I guess knowing you were here helped, the visions and everything"

"One thing Dru can be proud of, passing that little skill on" Spike smiled, "She'd like knowin' that"

"It's going to be a big shock for Angel, and Cordy" Buffy said as they stood there, arms still around each other, "I kinda thought they'd be here by now"

"Probably Peaches fancy convertible's gone and fallen apart half way between LA and here" Spike rolled his eyes, "He needs a new bloody car already"

"This from the guy who drove the same old DeSoto from the seventies til it finally fell apart!" Buffy smirked at him, before they both turned serious again.

It wasn't really the right time for jokes, there was a lot to think about here, a lot to discuss.

"Can't believe the kid still loves me, when she's seen what I am, what I've done" Spike said, shaking his head as he recalled his daughter's explanation of her life so far.

She and Connor had pretty much raised themselves when Holtz and Justine failed to survive the horrors of Quor'toth. Through visions she saw much of the lives and unlives of her parents, as well as Connor's mother and father. They spent every moment together, it would seem, and had a strong bond. The only thing stronger than that might be their will to get home to those they knew would be waiting.

"Spike" Buffy sighed, "I know what you were too, remember?" she told him as he sat down on a stool by the counter and she came to join him, "I read every book, every Watcher's Diary, when we were fighting, and then again when I realised I was falling for that badboy charm you like to show off" she smiled at him, her hand going to his face, "When you love somebody, none of that matters. I think I should feel a little stupid for taking so long to realise that, when Annaliese seems to have it figured out from Day One" she said, as Spike took her hand in his and kissed her palm.

"Doesn't matter how long it took, luv" he shook his head, "We got there eventually" he reminded her, "And now I have you, and Annaliese, both here with me, loving me. What more could I ask for?"

"Um, a mansion, with a swimming pool, and stables, and... ooh, a hometown that doesn't sit right on a Hellmouth" she suggested smartly, as he pulled her onto his lap and kissed her.

"You wouldn't really want all that, would you, Slayer?" he asked her with a smirk.

"Not really" Buffy admitted, "Without the Hellmouth I'd be kind of a useless Slayer, and I never would've met you, or my friends, or Annaliese. Life would be kinda crappy" she confirmed with a nod, before a yawn overtook her.

"Seems to me we ought to be getting you to bed, pet" her boyfriend suggested, and though for once his meaning had been innocent, the glint in her eyes gave away the fact that her thought-process had been less so.

They were just exiting the kitchen, headed for the stairs, hand-in-hand, when the phone rang, almost as if it knew they were within reaching distance.

"Don't s'pose there's any danger of you ignoring that then?" Spike said hopefully, but Buffy was already there with her hand on the receiver, taking the call.

Sitting himself down on the bottom step of the stairs, Spike only hoped this was a short call, so he and Buffy could get to bed already. It was only when his highly attuned ears caught the sound of his daughter, and quasi-cousin for lack of a better term for Connor, shifting in their sleep, he realised perhaps it would be best to not be with his woman that way tonight. After all, many of the kids gifts were as yet undefined, and Spike really did not relish the idea of his daughter either hearing or catching sight of his shagging with the Slayer.

"We were going to call, Giles, I swear" Buffy half-yelled, catching Spike's attention once again, "It was kind of an intense night..." she went on to say, shooting her boyfriend a weary look.

It seemed this conversation was going to go on a while, and Buffy was already so tired. He silently offered to take the call for her, explain to her Watcher about the portal, Annaliese and Connor, and so on, but she refused. The woman was awful protective of her duties still. She had to be the one to send in the report on the latest Hellmouth activity and what not. As much as she'd learnt to lean on Spike somewhat, there was things she would always want to do herself, he understood that.

From what Spike could gather from just his woman's side of the conversation, and odd pieces of dialogue from Rupert as he got over-excited or over-wrought and yelled a bit, it seemed the covern had called from England, to tell their old friend of strange happenings that were to occur in Sunnydale. Clearly they must've seen what both Cordelia and he himself had experienced, as Buffy explained everything was okay now, and why.

Old Ripper seemed shocked enough by Annaliese and Connor's return, even more so by the fact they were now teenagers, and she had her mother's visions but without the unwanted bonus of insanity. Spike realised that it was likely Giles wasn't processing this even as well as he and Buffy were, after all he'd had a substantial amount to drink at the wedding reception last night. He'd probably been woken from an alcohol-induced slumber to find one of Xander's slightly less repulsive relatives lying next to him as the telephone rang like crazy, rattling his painful head. Spike smirked at the thought. Poor Watcher, he really didn't hold his drink too well, surprising really given his past and all he was supposed to have got up to in the days when he was better known as Ripper than Rupert.

Spike paid attention to the call again suddenly, when a loud woman's voice and then laughter droned out the Watcher on the other end of the phone. He could hear her from his place on the step but not clearly and so he moved to stand by Buffy as she forced back laughter, and bit her lip.

'Oh come back to bed, Rupert, darling' the woman, who may have been either an Aunt or Cousin of Xander, nobody was absolutely certain.

'Not now, er..., dear' he told her, urging her to hush her drunken noise, which only seemed to cause an increase in her laughter.

It was fairly obvious from his pausing that he couldn't remember the woman's name at all, and a moment of odd hilarity was enjoyed by Spike and Buffy for about ten seconds before a loud rapping started up on the front door.

Spike moved to answer it, though he had already sensed who was there.

"Keep your gelled-up hair on, you old git!" he told the vampire, not raising his voice much since he knew his grand-sire would hear him perfectly well through the door anyway, such was the advantage of vampire hearing!

"I'm not in the mood for your stupid comments, boy!" Angel boomed as he burst into the house, with Cordy hurrying behind him, "What happened in town?"

"We got there late, we get that part" Cordelia told the bleached blond, "From the traces of destruction, I'm guessing it wasn't a fun or easy battle"

"We had enough help" Spike smirked, glancing towards the stairs, and then at Buffy who was desperately trying to end her call with Giles as fast as possible.

"Yeah, okay, Giles, I will, bye" Buffy rambled down the phone, hanging up just as soon as she could and hurrying over to where her ex was glaring at her boyfriend, who was still smirking despite the fact he was likely about to get a punch in the face for his attitude.

"Buffy, good, now for a sensible explanation" Cordelia said hopefully, as she looked to the Slayer for such an answer.

"An explanation, maybe" she nodded, "Sensible? On the Hellmouth? I think you've forgotten how stuff works around here, Cor" she half-smiled as she ushered the pair into the living room along with Spike.

"Oh, I know how stuff works, alright" Cordelia sighed, "The evilness got us from a few miles out. First the car broke down, then Angel's cell phone battery died. I swear, somebody seriously did not want us to get here on time"

"Didn't want him here at all" Spike muttered, his grand-sire glaring at him once again as his vampiric hearing picked up on what the bleached blond had said.

"Please can we not do this every time you guys have to be in the same room!" Buffy pleaded with the two vamps, "After everything else tonight, I can't deal" she told them.

"Yeah, well, after the night we had, and barely making it here before sun up, I don't exactly want to deal with him either" Angel snapped.

"Gotta deal with a whole lot more of a shock than me, Liam" Spike told him with a shake of his head, "See, that rip and a tear of a portal me and the bird saw, it wasn't just the big ugly evil that spilled out..."

Buffy was about to take over the explanation, knowing that at least she'd be a little tactful with it, but neither she nor Spike were given the chance to speak further as a scream came from upstairs, loud enough to wake the dead.

"Bloody hell!" Spike exclaimed as he leapt to his feet and ran for the stairs, Buffy hot on his heels.

"What the frickin' hell was that?" Cordy wanted to know, as she and Angel moved to follow, but no-one was exactly listening to her, they had much more important things to worry about.

To Be Continued...


	6. Chapter 6

****

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 6

A scream came from upstairs, loud enough to wake the dead.

"Bloody hell!" Spike exclaimed as he leapt to his feet and ran for the stairs, Buffy hot on his heels.

"What the frickin' hell was that?" Cordy wanted to know, as she and Angel moved to follow, but no-one was exactly listening to her, they had much more important things to worry about.

The four crashed into the spare room to find Annaliese sat on the edge of a fold out bed, crying into her hands as Connor knelt on the floor in front of her, trying to bring some comfort.

"Annaliese?" Spike checked, "What the bloody hell's going on?" he asked her.

"Annaliese?" Cordy echoed in shock.

"Connor?" Angel guessed, as he caught the sight and scent of his son.

"Dad?" the boy said back, in astonishment.

"Daddy!" Annaliese repeated the word to her own father, who was only too happy to be there for her, sitting down beside her and hugging her tight as she cried.

"She had a vision" Connor explained to the four adults that surrounded him, "It doesn't usually hurt her or upset her, I don't understand" he told them, looking worriedly at the young woman who was essentially all he had.

"What did you see, luv?" Spike asked the girl as he rocked her in his arms, "C'mon, tell Dad all about it" he said, making Buffy smile at least a little.

Though she'd been there at the birth of this child and had helped Spike raise the baby until they'd been so unfortunate as to lose her, it was still strange to hear Spike refer to himself as a father in that way.

"It's Giles" Annaliese explained, sniffing hard, "She's going to hurt him, she's... she's not what he thinks"

"Giles?" Buffy echoed, "The woman from the wedding, she's not...? Oh God!" she exclaimed, running out of the door and pelting down the stairs.

She didn't need details, she'd got the gist of what Annaliese was trying to say. The woman Giles had left the wedding reception with, the one it seemed he may have slept with in his drunken state, she was obviously dangerous somehow.

As she slammed her feet into her boots and grabbed the axe she had earlier abandoned in the hall, Buffy was unaware of what was happening upstairs, just hell bent on getting to her Watcher and making sure he was okay.

"Hang on a sec" Cordelia shook her head, hoping to clear the fog that was settling in, "This is Connor, and Annaliese" she gestured to the two teens before her, "But you're..."

"All grown up" the boy smirked at her, "Yeah, hell dimensions will do that for you"

"Of course" Angel nodded knowingly, "Time moves differently, years pass in hell, here on Earth it's just... My son" he smiled suddenly at the boy who managed a similar expression.

Both looked happy enough if not a little awkward as they eventually hugged and tears came to Cordelia's eyes that she had no control over at all. Connor was back, the gift Angel believed had been given to him simply so he would be made to suffer when it was taken away. The baby was back, albeit as a teenage boy now, and nobody was more happy for Angel than his pseudo-girlfriend, such was the title Cordy had pretty much placed upon herself. All she and Angel didn't do together was be intimate, in all other senses they were practically an old married couple. Now of course was not the time for pondering on such topics or feeling sorry for oneself. Cordelia should concentrate on being happy that the kids were back, and then panicking some more about Annaliese's vision.

"Not that I'm not uber-psyched to have you guys back" she told them, "And explanations can wait on the how, why, and whatever, but is Giles going to be okay?"

"'S not much the Slayer can't handle" Spike reminded her, "If it's just the one witch, or demon, or whatever..."

"Demon" his daughter told him, wiping her face with her hands and looking much more composed now, "A strong one, at least, she is on the inside. It took her over somehow, to hurt people"

"You reckon Buffy can handle it, luv?" Spike checked, head tilting to one side as he looked at her.

The expression he saw on his daughter's face suggested possibly not and immediately the vampire was on his feet.

"Right then" he said, "Time for old Spike to go and play back-up"

"If you're going then I am too" Annaliese told him, also getting up, "And before you tell me I can't, remember who helped you with that demon from Quor'toth" she said quickly as he opened his mouth to protest, "I can do it, Dad" she promised him, and the very sound of that last word from her lips was enough to convince him.

"Alright, pet" he agreed, "Let's go"

"If you're going, I should too" Connor told Annaliese, but she shook her head.

"You stay here, Connor" she told him, her hand on his arm, "You need to spend time with them, your parents" she reminded him, with a smile in the direction of Angel and Cordelia, "I'll be fine, you know I will"

He nodded in agreement and finally let her go, though he was sure to tell her to be careful and watch her back. The pair had been all each other had for so long, Connor in particular was very protective of Annaliese despite the fact her power was easily an equal to his own and she was more than capable of looking after herself. Besides she was headed into only a minor battle, and with Spike and Buffy at her sides. She would be fine, he knew.

Connor figured perhaps he was just subsconsciously trying to avoid his own situation. It was years since he'd seen his father or Cordy and though he knew them by descriptions from Annaliese, even their faces were mostly unfamiliar to him.

"I guess you guys want to know what happened, right?" he said, turning to the champions who should've been the ones to raise him.

It was going to be a long night it seemed, but somewhat less uneventful in Revello Drive than it was across town at Giles' apartment...

"Why do I think there's more to you than Xander's kindly aunt?" Buffy grunted as she fought against the woman who was seemingly possessed, after all she was the Slayer and yet nice Aunt Doris or whatever her name was seemed to be able to push back just as hard as her rival.

The axe that both had been fighting for was finally won over by Buffy who used the shaft to smack the demon Doris in the back of the head. As much as this thing needed defeating she was wary of doing too much actual harm. After all, Giles' theory seemed to be that she was still a relative of Xander's albeit controlled by a much more evil force. This much Buffy had gathered from what he had yelled over the noise of the battle.

"Buffy!" Spike yelled as he came crashing in the door, smoking slightly as he threw off a blanket and revealed a sword in his hand, Annaliese rushing in just a step behind him, also armed.

"Hey, nice timing" the Slayer breathed evenly, "Job done, at least the muscle part" she shrugged, before looking past the broken furniture at her Watcher who emerged, holding a hand to his head, "You okay, Giles?"

"Slightly concussed" the Englishman admitted, "Though that of course is something I am used to" he told her, as Buffy smiled.

"Poor old Watcher" Spike smirked too, "Does have a tendency to get knocked on the head, don't you, mate?"

"Indeed" he nodded carefully as he picked his way across the room towards them, "And, er, who might I ask is this young lady?"

"My name is Annaliese" she explained in her politest tone, "I think perhaps I looked somewhat different the last time you saw me, Giles"

"Annaliese?" he frowned, the effects of his hangover and the vase he'd taken to the head not helping at all as he tried to process what he thought she was saying.

"Rupert Giles, meet my little girl" Spike said proudly, "The grown up version, fresh back from your fancy, non-returnable-from, hell dimension" he smirked, as the Watchers brain went into over-drive.

A groan emanated from the semi-conscious body on the ground and Buffy hastily delivered another blow to her head, just hard enough to knock her out once again.

"I really think we need to call Willow and Tara" she said, "Somehow this demon got in and we need to get it out and destroy it. I'm thinking magic is the way to go"

"Right, yes, indeed" Giles agreed, reaching for the telephone, "I... I shall call them, and research will be in order to identify the demon, where it came from, and how best to, er, exorcise and defeat it"

"And, Dad" Annaliese said to Spike, "Perhaps at some point we could explain to Giles how I'm back here, so he'll stop looking at me like an alien" she smirked slightly, the very image of her father as she did so, and Buffy couldn't help but giggle.

It was a weird night going into an equally odd day.

For all that had happened on the Hellmouth, no-one could've been prepared for the return of the two children as teens, or this latest revelation that Giles had in fact been charmed by a demon possessed version of one of Xander's relatives at the wedding reception yesterday.

"All that tough talk about you shacking up with a demon, luv" Spike shook his head as he came over to where Buffy stood, keeping an eye on the unconscious woman, "Then Giles goes off shagging the first possessed bint he can find" he smirked, though the Watcher shot him a scathing look as he waited for Willow or Tara to answer his phone call.

"I wonder how it's going at home, with Angel and Connor" the Slayer considered, as she glanced over at Annaliese who was now running a finger along the bookshelf, seemingly looking for any volumes that might prove useful.

"Peaches does the touchy feely bit pretty well these days" Spike shrugged, "They'll be alright. For all the ups and downs me and the old git have had, we're both of us just as happy as each other to have our kids back"

"She's certainly battle-ready, just like Daddy" Buffy smiled as she noted the weapon in Annalieses hand.

"That she is" Spike agreed, looking proudly at Annaliese.

Getting used to having a sudden teenage daughter was going to be odd, but he could deal. It had been equally strange being so abruptly landed with a baby, but he and the Slayer could cope. Anything was possible, he'd discovered, since they got together, anything at all.

To Be Continued...


	7. Chapter 7

A/N : As always, I very much appreciate all the reviews, thank you :-)

_(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)_

Chapter 7

It had taken a while to explain all the necessary information to everyone. Willow and Tara were much better off for having caught up on their sleep and were now much less hungover and a lot more alert. The demon woman in Giles' apartment had been a surprise for them, but not half so much of a shock as the Watcher himself got as Buffy and Spike explained how Annaliese and Connor had returned from Quor'toth as teenagers, with a near-full knowledge of all those they had left behind here.

Now, a few hours later, Xander's aunt, who had been quite definitely identified as Aunt Doris by Willow, was lying back in Giles' bed, kept still and quiet by a binding spell the two witches had cast.

The Scoobies all sat downstairs, Willow and Tara at the table, Giles and Spike in two armchairs, and Buffy and Annaliese together on the couch, as they poured over books, and the computer hoping to find anything useful about the demon who had apparently infected an innocent woman, and must be exorcised and defeated as soon as possible.

"You okay, Annaliese?" Buffy asked when the girl sighed.

"Yes, thank you, I'm fine" she told the Slayer managing a smile as she glanced her way, "I'm... well, I'm worried about Connor if I'm honest" she admitted, "He was very nervous about seeing Angel and Cordelia again, he... he was afraid perhaps he would be unwanted now"

"Why would the daft bugger think that?" Spike checked, having been listening to the girls conversation from the start, "You didn't, did you, luv?"

"Of course not" Annaliese rolled her eyes, "but I got to see you all, my visions are such a gift. I knew we were wanted, and loved, and everything. Connor had to take my word on it, and whilst he always believed me, I don't suppose its the same as seeing it all first hand"

"I'm sure it'll all work out" Buffy assured her, "Angel and Cordy really missed him, just like we missed you, and if they're even half as happy to have Connor back as we are to have you back..." she trailed off, her meaning evident to all.

Annaliese smiled at that as she glanced away.

"I'm so sorry to have made such a fuss about my vision before" she apologised, "I would've given you the information about Giles so much more easily had I not gotten so upset, but then I seldom see those I would care about in trouble" she explained, actually bringing some comfort to her father who had been a little worried that her gift was now causing her harm when it had not before.

He opened his mouth to say as much, but Giles intervened as he found what he was looking for.

"Ah, yes, here we are" he said, leaning forward and putting the book he'd been studying on the table for all to see, "Here's the demon, a nasty one by all accounts too, I'm lucky to have escaped alive it would seem"

"Well, Ripper, let's hope this has taught you a little something about the dangers of drink and loose women" Spike smiled, at least until Buffy shot him a look and batted him across the arm.

"Very amusing, Spike" the Watcher rolled his eyes, as he called Willow and Tara over and explained to them both what had happened and what needed to be done.

* * *

"Okay" Willow nodded as she and Tara stood either side of Giles' bed with a candle each in their hands, "As soon as we finish, the candles will go out and then the demon should appear" 

"Sword through the chest and we're done, right?" Buffy checked.

"That should be the way to kill it, yes" Giles agreed, "Although I doubt it's going to be so easy, Buffy, the demon will be very angry at being removed from his host"

"Not exactly un-angry myself, Giles" his Slayer told him, "It messed with my family, it's going down" she nodded, shifting her grip on the handle of the sword she held, "Besides, I have back-up" she tilted her head towards Spike and Annaliese who stood either side of her and a step behind, prepared to tackle this demon, should it get past Buffy.

"You sure you wanna do this, luv?" Spike asked his daughter.

"Really do" she smiled back at him, clearly enjoying the idea of a good fight as much as her father, which thrilled him.

"Okay, here goes" Willow said, taking a breath, and making eye contact with her girlfriend across the bed.

The two Wiccans began their chanting, which seemed to have little or no effect at first, then suddenly Doris started to twitch, just slightly at first and then more violently. Like someone having a kind of fit, she twisted and turned on the bed, in spite of the binding spell that had held the demon down. Now they wanted it to move, it needed to be freed so that it could be dealt with.

Buffy adjusted her grip on the sword she held. According to Willow, this demon was probably going to be quite strong as well as majorly pissed at being exorcised. The book went into great detail about the habits of the Enervo.

It was incorporeal for the most part, floating around, not causing too much trouble, but in order to maintain even this existence they had to feed. Each month on the three nights of the full moon, the Enervo possessed a human body, took over to a certain degree as it sapped the energy from it's host. It didn't usually kill one person, instead preferring to encourage the body it inhabited into mating with another. Somehow the passion of a sexual encounter was like gasoline to the fire of energy the demon needed. It was not, it seemed, mere alcohol that had led to Doris and Giles spending the night together, but the influence of the demon.

Now it was being released before it was ready, and after it had been held captive for a while, the Enervo was likely to be overly angry and vicious, and ready for a meal, which was the whole point of the energy sapping – to gain corporeal form, and consume it's monthly supply of human flesh, usually from the victims who were devout of energy already.

This particular Enervo was of course not destined to compete it's lunar task, and as a black mist began to emanate from the woman on the bed, those that would fight the demon readied themselves for battle.

The blackness floated away from Doris, taking shape in front of Buffy. Half man, half lizard type creature, it appeared, it's skin completely black, and eyes glowing a dark and fiery red.

A growl emanated from it's throat as pointed teeth designed for ripping flesh were revealed in rows. Buffy lifted her sword to strike, but no-one could've predicted the lightening moves of the Enervo. It knocked the Slayer clean off her feet without a care.

Spike moved to fight in her place but was stopped by his daughter who quite literally spun into action. She moved like liquid, her sword work so accurate and fast, it amazed both her father and the rest of the Scoobies as they watched her fight and quite easily dispatch the demon. In but a few moments she seemed to have judged where the demon would go, how it would move, and how best to defeat it.

"Argh!" with a final yell of effort, she forced the sword down into the now fallen demon's chest, purple blood spurting out, and narrowly missing her face as she dodged away.

"Bloody hell!" Spike exclaimed, but with a smile on his face, he was so very proud of his little girl right now.

"What... what on earth is going on?" Doris asked, a hand going to her head as she tried to sit up, only to immediately fall down again as her head spun madly.

"It's all right, my dear" Giles told her, going to her side, telling the rest of the group that perhaps it would be better if they left so he could explain to this poor woman exactly what had happened.

The two Wiccans, to whom the Watcher shot a grateful smile, agreed to leave the room, but stayed behind at the apartment to tidy up the mess that had been made, and to help with Doris later should Giles need them.

Spike nominated himself to remove the demon body, with a plan to take it away down the sewers and dispose of it. Of course that meant leaving Annaliese but she was quite happy to walk home with Buffy, it seemed, and Spike would trust his Slayer with his daughter, with his life, should he have one.

"It must be weird for you" Annaliese sighed as they walked along, "Having me back here, suddenly in your life, and not at all how you remember me"

"You were a surprise" Buffy admitted with a nod and a smile, "but then, you were from the beginning. Nobody could've predicted the child of two vampires, and then when there were two of you... big with the stunnage!"

Silence fell over the pair for a while then, both a little unsure of what to say next. It was a very odd situation, after all.

"So, you can handle demons pretty well, huh?" Buffy said eventually, "I mean, there's not a lot of people that could smack one down like you did back there" she told Annaliese, who looked almost embarrassed by the compliment.

"I had to learn, Connor too" she explained, "Quor'toth is a lot worse than this world. Of course, it helps to be born with the abilities we have"

"Preaching to the choir" the Slayer nodded, "It's a responsibility too, figuring out why you're here, trying to fulfil that destiny…"

"I suppose so" Annaliese agreed, "I confess that whilst I always knew we'd be back here one day, I was never shown why" she shrugged, "I've thought about it a lot. The forces of good gave two children to four vampires, denizens of evil essentially, though I would not say so in front of my father" she confessed.

"He knows what he was, Annaliese" Buffy assured her, "Spike and Angel both know they've done a lot of bad things, but they both fought back, Angel with his soul, and your Dad, well, I guess mostly he did it for love"

"Love for you" Annaliese smiled, "It's obvious you mean the world to him, Buffy"

"He means the world to me too" the blonde nodded, "And you, you mean so much to the both of us" they both looked equally embarrassed by now and Buffy looked away, "Listen to us, we sound like the Brady Bunch. Spike would go nuts if he could hear us being 'silly bints'" she said, faking an English accent so badly, it made Annaliese chuckle.

"I don't know what that means exactly" she confessed, "but I don't mind whatever he wants to call me. I'm just so glad to be back here with him, and all of you"

"It's obviously where you belong" Buffy agreed, "I guess the Powers That Be have it all planned out somehow, what you and Connor are destined for. Just like me, and Spike, and Angel, and…" she trailed of there as Annaliese gave her a quizzical look.

"And who?" she asked curiously, as Buffy looked awkward.

"I had a sister" the blonde confessed, though she wasn't sure why she was doing it, it was perhaps because it would be nice to share the story with someone, anyone who might understand, "She wasn't my real sister, she was made from a powerful energy, and this hell god came to take that energy and use it to get back to her own hell dimension"

"What happened?" Annaliese asked, and Buffy swallowed hard before she continued to explain.

"A portal was opened with Dawn's blood" she said quietly, since they were still out in the public street where people could hear if she wasn't careful, "Once it was opened the only way to close it was when the blood stopped, so she jumped. Dawnie, my little sister, sacrificed her life, to save the world"

"My God" Annaliese gasped, "Was this before I was born?"

"Yes" Buffy nodded, "a few months before you came along. It's crazy but … I can almost see something similar between you and her. It's nuts, I mean, mostly you look like Drusilla, and you have Spike's eyes but… I dunno, maybe it's just your age or something"

"Perhaps" Annaliese agreed as they neared Revello Drive, "I actually wanted to ask you…" she began, pausing awkwardly as they reached the front door.

"Y'know Annaliese there's nothing you can't ask me, honestly" Buffy assured her.

"I wanted to know… about my mother" she admitted, "I didn't know if Dad would want me to mention her, even though he said it was okay, I…."

"Drusilla was…" Buffy began, not really knowing what to say once she'd started. After all, Drusilla had mostly been crazy and evil in the time Buffy had known her, at least up until she returned nine months pregnant. Then she had still been crazy, but she'd loved the child she carried, that much was evident. She sacrificed herself to bring the baby into the world. That had to mean something.

"Dru was beautiful" she said at last as the two young women entered the house, going through to the living room and sitting down on the couch together, "She loved your Dad a lot, and she loved you too. She knew what she had to do so that you would be born, and she knew you'd do great things" she smiled, "She told your Dad you were the one good thing they did together, and she was right"

"Thank you, Buffy" Annaliese smiled, though tears were in her eyes.

She appreciated the kind but honest words of the Slayer. She would make a wonderful step-mother she was sure. Annaliese knew for sure she'd done the right thing coming back here from Quor'toth, and not just because fate had told her she should. She and Connor were going to be so happy here, she was certain, as she hugged the blonde that made her father so happy too.

"Hey" Connor called as he came down the stairs and found the two women all teary on the couch, "You okay?"

"I really am" Annaliese told him with a genuine smile, "You?"

"Yeah" he nodded, glancing behind himself at his father and Cordy, "It's all good here"

To Be Continued...


	8. Chapter 8

A/N : Headed towards an end on this story, and this trilogy now. A couple more chapters left, I think, and that'll be all. Glad you are all still enjoying the story and thanx for the continuing support via review :-)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 8

At 1630 Revello Drive, two vampires and the warrior women they loved sat in the living room, talking about two miracle children whom they had lost as babies and got back from Hell a few months later as teenagers. It was the most odd of situations, and yet it seemed to help at least Spike and Angel, two vampires who had been at war for decades, finally see eye-to-eye on a few things.

However, on one topic they could not agree, and this was how the argument started. Angel, in his wisdom, thought it was perfectly acceptable to suggest that Connor go home to LA with himself and Cordelia, whilst Annaliese stay here in Sunnydale with Buffy and Spike. A wonderful plan on the surface, anyone would agree, but not practical given these particular circumstances. Spike, of course had his own way of telling Angel exactly what he thought of the plan.

"Angel, for once in your unlife, don't be a stupid git!" he yelled at his grand-sire, "You can't expect to tear apart two kids lives just cos you feel like it, you sod"

"I am talking about what is best for my son, and that is to be with me!" Angel shot back, "I'm his father, Spike"

"Yeah, but not before I was hers!" the bleached blond pointed out, "Let's not forget who managed to make a miracle sprog first, eh?" Spike reminded him, the argument growing in pettiness as such heated discussions between the two were wont to do, "Oh yeah, Angelus was so fine and dandy, poncin' around with his precious soul but who was the first of us to get the kid?"

"Spike…" Buffy sighed, not wanting all this right now, but he wouldn't stop.

"No, Slayer" he shook his head, "For once I'm bloody right, and I'm not having him tell me otherwise" he snapped, pointing a finger at Angel who looked like he was going beyond angry now.

"Your opinion counts for nothing when we're talking about Connor" he pointed out.

"Bloody does when you want to take away the one person my girl knows how to love and depend on" the younger vamp argued, "Angel, be bloody reasonable will you?! Those two were in Hell, had only each other to turn too. Now they've been spat out into a whole new place, and your master plan is to tear them apart! Congratulations, mate" he said sarcastically, "You win the prize for the biggest idiot in town"

"You're trying my patience, boy" Angel growled, his anger evident in his eyes, it was obvious he was just itching to tear Spike apart, and the demon within him fought to be set free.

"Angel" Cordelia said carefully, "Don't, y'know, rip off my head and spit down my throat or whatever, but I think maybe Spike is right" she ventured, as Angel turned angry eyes upon her.

She wasn't afraid, not really. She'd known Angel long enough to know that barring those few times he'd lost his soul, he wasn't about to let his demon take over. Okay, so he'd gotten pretty close to the dark side during the whole Darla debacle but since then he'd learnt his lesson. Besides which, she and Angel were practically an old married couple these days, minus the conjugal rights of course, but he would never harm her.

"How can you…?" he started to ask, but she cut in to explain.

"I just think that if I were stuck somewhere scary and I had someone I always turned to, it'd seem pretty harsh to have that person taken away from me when I most need them" she explained, giving him a look, and Angel understood then.

He and Cordelia had gone through quite a bit together these past three years or so. She had been his rock and he hers through so many things; horror, danger, loss of friends, both good times and bad had rolled on through and when the smoke cleared there they both were, side by side, ready to face the next battle together. She was an incredible woman, and as usual, she was right again.

It left a bitter taste in Angel's mouth to admit it of course, especially when he glanced back at Spike and saw the self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"Least the bird's got some sense" he said cockily, prepared for Angel's subsequent attack.

The two leapt up almost as one and stood toe to toe. Buffy was soon on her feet too, putting a hand to each of their chests and pushing them apart.

"Oh no, no way are we doing this now" she ordered them, "I swear, you start another fight and ruin anymore of my furniture, and on my word as a Slayer I will dust you both"

Both vamps looked down at the angry blonde with a questioning look but she stood firm.

"You know I could" she warned them and Angel finally stepped back, whilst Spike shot a wicked smirk at his woman.

"You want to play slay games, luv, you know I'm game" he winked as he sat himself back down.

Buffy only rolled her eyes as a yawn suddenly overtook her.

"Okay" she said, glancing at the clock, "It seems like we have more talking to do, so I'm going to make coffee. You think you kids can place nice whilst I'm gone?" she asked the two vamps who were still glaring at each other.

"Yeah" Cordelia said, getting up, "Maybe I'll go get that coffee, let you play umpire for the vampires" she suggested, slipping off to the kitchen before Buffy could argue at all.

Though Cordy was glad to have escaped the manly displays of anger in the living room, she almost jumped out of her skin when she came into the kitchen and spotted someone in there, half in and half out of the fridge.

"Connor?" she realised as he emerged, his face covered in what appeared to be chocolate sauce, and some kind of jar in his hand.

"I couldn't sleep" he admitted and Cordy smiled at the sight of the kid caught in the fridge, just like any other teen, despite all he'd been through in his young life so far.

"I guess the yelling down here, didn't help, huh?" she rolled her eyes, "Honestly, your Dad and Spike fight better than my parents used to, and they knew how to have an argument" she noted as she came around the counter and set to work making coffee, as her original plan had been.

"I heard some of it" he admitted, "I tried not to"

"You know none of their yelling is because of you" Cordelia assured him, putting her hand to his arm as he dragged himself out of the fringe and let the door close at last, "Or actually, it is about you, but it's only because Angel loves you, and Spike loves Annaliese. This is hard for them too"

"I know" Connor nodded, wiping the back of his hand across his face and not loving the sticky mess he found himself in.

"I guess they don't have chocolate in Quor'toth, huh?" Cordy smirked, grabbing a dishtowel from by the sink, "You need some serious cleaning up"

"I'm not a kid" Connor pulled away from her when she made to wipe his face for him, and she handed him the towel to let him do it himself, feeling a little silly.

He was right of course, he wasn't the baby she'd meant to raise with Angel, he was a young man now, and he had learnt to take care of himself quite well.

"I'm sorry" she said, turning away to continue with making the coffee.

"No, I am" Connor told her, "I didn't mean to... I guess this is all a little weird, being back here, with people who care about us" he tried to explain as he twisted the towel round and around in his hands.

"It's okay" Cordelia told him kindly, taking the chocolate stained item from his hands before he destroyed it with his nervous habit, "I think it's going to take time for everybody to adjust, I mean, you were this tiny cute little bundle when we lost you, and now..." she said looking him over, "Well, if anybody thought I was your Mom now, I might be a little offended, though obviously not because I wouldn't want to be your Mom, I just... I'm so wishing I never started talking" she said, closing her eyes a moment feeling stupid all over again, "Yeah, good one, Cor" she sarcastically congratulated herself.

"It's okay, I understand" Connor assured her, as the kitchen door opened.

"I woke up and you were gone" Annaliese said, as she entered the room, rubbing one eye sleepily, "Is something wrong?" she asked, looking oddly child-like in some of Buffy's old sweats and a decidedly sleepy state, far from the warrior she had been in Quor'toth, and even earlier today as she despatched the Enervo demon at Giles' apartment.

"I just got hungry" Connor shrugged, not wanting to bring up the yelling that had woken him earlier.

From what Cordelia said, he was sure everything would work out okay in the end. Both he and Annaliese were loved enormously, it was becoming increasingly obvious, things were just a little awkward for all concerned right now, not just the two young people returning from Quor'toth but also for the parents they had left behind what seemed just a few short months ago here in this world.

"Is the food good here?" Annaliese asked him, as she padded across the room, and smirked at the mark on her friends face, obviously some food stuff that hadn't made it into his mouth.

Bringing a finger to his cheek, she wiped the chocolate sauce away, looked at it on her finger tips and then put it to her lips.

"I think I like that" she decided with a smile, and Cordelia did the same.

"Oh, sweetheart, you'll learn to love that" she assured the raven-haired girl, "Everything else in life will let you down eventually, but chocolate? Never!" she promised, as Annaliese giggled at the passion with which she spoke.

"You won't need chocolate, Annie" Connor told her firmly, "You know I would never let you down. I'll always be here for you"

"I know" she nodded, smiling still, "I don't see why that would ever change, anymore than my being here for you. It's the way it's always been, and how it will always be" she shrugged her shoulders, as she stated what she believed to be obvious.

"Hey, Romeo and Juliet" Cordy snapped them out of their almost lovey-dovey hazy, "I think you two should try to get some more sleep" she told them, "Seriously, it's been a long day"

"Goodnight, Cordelia" they chorused as they dutifully went off to bed.

As they headed for the stairs, Cordy smirked, hearing Connor ask Annaliese a question;

"Who are Romeo and Juliet?"

To Be Continued...


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N : Okay, so we're headed for an ending on what may very well be my last Buffy story. Usually as I end one, I have a new idea or even several new ideas for the next fic(s) I want to write, which is true of this time too, except those new stories aren't for the Buffyverse. If anyone is interested I do intend to return to the Smallville-verse and the VMars-verse in the near future. Anywho, in the meantime, here's the ninth chapter of this story, with a tenth to follow later this week, and that'll be all from me for this one.**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 9

"So in the end we realised that it wasn't really down to us to decide where you should be or who you should stay with" Buffy explained to Connor and Annaliese, as they sat at the breakfast table, curtains firmly drawn since Spike and Angel were also present, as well as Cordelia, "We all talked about it, and we realised, you're young adults, and you should be allowed to make the decision for yourselves"

"What kind of decision?" Annaliese asked, pushing another piece of pancake into her mouth, having discovered it was one of her favourite things to eat here.

"About where you're gonna live, pet" Spike told her, "You and Connor, we don't want to split you up or anything; we know how close you are" he explained, "So it's alright with me and the Slayer, if you want to stay here, and… I s'pose it's alright if you want to go to LA with Peaches… with Angel" he amended off Buffy's scathing look.

"The third option would mean Connor coming home with us, and Annaliese staying here" Cordelia said carefully, "but obviously we don't want to upset either of you in all this"

"What do you think, son?" Angel asked Connor as he and Annaliese shared a look.

"Well, I do want to get to know you better," he said with a nod, "We've both waited so long to be here, to meet our fathers and… I guess if it means we have to be apart for a while… I guess, we could do that"

"You alright with that, pet?" Spike checked with his daughter who nodded slowly.

"Of course" she assured him with a smile, "I'll miss Connor but it's not as if we'll never see each other again, is it?"

"Of course you'll still see each other" Buffy promised them, "All the time. Connor is always welcome here, and I'm sure you'd never be turned away from the Hyperion"

"There'll always be room for Annaliese" Angel agreed, as the four adults all turned their gaze on the teens.

"Okay" the raven-haired girl nodded, "I'll stay here"

"And I'll go home with you" Connor told his father, "but… we don't have to go right away do we?"

"Of course not, honey" Cordelia assured him, "We can stay in Sunnydale a while, right, Angel?" she prompted him.

Neither he nor Spike looked impressed with the idea of sharing digs and keeping each others company for any length of time, but for their kids they would do it.

"Sure" Angel forced a smile, when Cordelia swiftly kicked him under the table – she would not have him messing this up, any more than Buffy would allow Spike to do the same.

"Wow, I thought that was going to be much worse" Buffy declared, as she stood up and began clearing the table.

"I'll help" Annaliese smiled, jumping up too.

"Hey, don't leave me with these guys!" Cordelia protested with a jokey smile as she grabbed a couple of dishes and followed the other two to the kitchen.

Once firmly in the the next room, away from the men, Annaliese turned to the two older women.

"I have a question" she said uncertainly, looking decidedly childlike.

"Okay" Buffy promoted, wondering where this was going.

She was convinced the whole 'living apart' thing had gone too smoothly. Somebody had to have an objection, there just had to be a fight involved somewhere, there invariably always was!

"It was something Cordelia said" Annaliese explained, making the brunette swing around fast from the cupboard where she'd been putting things away.

"Me?" she checked, "What did I say?"

"Last night" Annaliese reminded her, "You referred to Connor and I as Romeo and Juliet. Who are these people?" she checked.

Buffy smirked, an expression worthy of Spike on her face as she faced the girl.

"Romeo and Juliet are characters from a play, y'know, like a story?" she explained, thinking how weird this was, but then having been brought up in a hell dimension from just a few weeks after birth, there was no possible way for Annaliese to understand any of this.

"They were young people who were in love" Cordelia threw in, "but their families were at war"

"Oh" Annaliese frowned, shaking her head, "Then I still don't understand. Surely we have the same family? Yourselves, my father, Angel…"

"Well, you're not exactly blood related… are they?" Buffy checked with Cordelia who shook her head, a little baffled by the whole thing.

With Angel being Drusilla's sire, and she being Spike's creator, it would almost make the two males grandfather and grandson, if taken in the way of human family. That would make Connor and Annaliese some kind of twice removed cousins or some such, but it was all so complicated, and vampire families really didn't work the same as humans. Since these two were walking miracles, it seemed safe to say that two human children born of four inter-related vampires could be blood-related, but how exactly would be unfathomable.

"It's complicated" Buffy admitted, "I guess you have a special bond, something beyond love in the being in love way, and probably stronger than most families would have" she shrugged, assuming her theory to be correct, but knowing she had absolutely no way at all to prove it.

"Yeah, that sounds good" Cordy agreed with a smile, glad she'd been let off coming up with an explanation herself.

At least now she had something to say to Connor if he ever asked a similar question.

"I do love Connor" Annaliese nodded, "but it is strange. I feel differently for him than for you or my father or anyone" she explained awkwardly, "I depend upon him as he does me"

"Well, that's what matters" Buffy told her, "You don't have to try and define what you feel for him right now"

"That usually works itself out, given time" Cordy assured the girl, as she and Buffy shared a look.

They'd both started out with different feelings for the men they now loved. In the end, these things had a habit of surprising you, working themselves out when you least expected them to. One minute you hate someone, or maybe just like them like a friend. Next thing you know they've swept you off your feet, and you're helplessly, hopelessly, head-over-heels in love, despite the fact you make one of the most awkward matches imaginable.

"Slayer?" Spike called to her and the blonde hurried back through to the dining room to see what was up, after all it wasn't as if he could come into the brightly lit kitchen to find her without being burnt to a cinder.

"Everything okay?" Buffy asked warily, realising what a mistake they could've made leaving Spike and Angel in a room together, with no supervision but the latter's son.

"Just think it's time I got some shut-eye, luv" her boyfriend told her, "Was wondering what you girls were up to"

"Actually y'know we should probably take Annaliese and Connor shopping" she considered as the girls emerged behind her from the kitchen, "You guys need some clothes of your own if you're going to be staying here"

"I should get some sleep too" Angel said suddenly obviously not up for the trip, besides he'd have to run through the sewer tunnels just to get to the mall, and all for the sake of carrying bags and boxes, and being asked twenty times over if people's butts looked big in various items of clothing.

"Honestly, vampires!" Cordelia declared, "Can't live with them, can't get them to take you shopping!"

* * *

"This is bloody ridiculous" Spike sighed, "Why do you have to put everything on to show us?" he called up the stairs to where his daughter, plus the Slayer and the Cheerleader, were putting on the new clothes they'd bought to show off to the two vampire men.

"You can't get the full effect if it's on the hangers" Buffy yelled back, "Now stop being a pain and go sit with Angel and Connor" she demanded.

The young man had been let off the fashion parade, after all he was a man and quite happy for his clothes to be viewed in the boxes, just as they came. Girls were different of course, apparently their clothes only looked good on them, and there was nothing they loved more than showing off in them, even girls who were more likely to be seen covered in blood and slime, than anything from Dolce & Gabbana or Prada.

"Okay, here we come" Cordelia announced as the three women trooped down the stairs, her first followed by Buffy then Annaliese.

Though their girlfriends looked appropriately stunning, Annaliese was the most obvious vision out of the three. She'd been battle-ready right down to the outfit when she'd arrived in this world, and had worn nothing but old sweats that Buffy leant her until now. To see her now, she was like a different girl, beautiful in a flower print sundress, her hair brushed out and hanging prettily around her shoulders, blue eyes shining as she stood before them.

Connor's eyes were perhaps widest of all at the sight of this beautiful girl that up to now had always been his battle partner and best friend. Now she was different, she was gorgeous, she was…

"You're a vision, luv" Spike filled in the thought for him as he looked upon his little girl in wonder, "Absolutely bloody gorgeous, all of you are"

"For once, Spike, I gotta say, I agree" Angel smirked, pleasing the girls but also causing them to giggle madly, after all the two vamps were legendary enemies these days. An agreement of any kind between them was somewhat miraculous.

"I think I could learn to love shopping" Annaliese declared, much to the amusement of everyone, and the particular delight of the girls, who always loved a good excuse for a trip to the mall.

* * *

"I think maybe I gave your daughter too much of a love for shopping" Buffy said guiltily as she sat on the couch with Spike, waiting for the girl to appear in her latest outfit.

It was now two weeks since the tear in space and time had appeared in the main street of Sunnydale, spitting out first a demon and then Connor and Annaliese, now young adults instead if the babies that had been lost to Quor'toth.

Today was the day when Connor had decided he was finally able to leave Annaliese's side and go home with Angel and Cordelia, which was both a good and bad thing as far as Spike could see. He was glad to not have his grand-sire hanging around, and to get a little more alone time with both Buffy and Annaliese. Still, he hated to see the tears that formed in the young girl's eyes as her best friend and confidante was driven away from her.

That was when he'd offered her the chance of a shopping trip, very grateful when Willow and Tara had jumped in and said they would be happy to take her with them to the mall, since they were going anyway. It had saved Spike a trip to the God forsaken places known as women's clothes stores, but his wallet had taken a severe hit.

"Honestly, luv" he said to Buffy, smiling in spite of the money he'd lost today, "She could buy the whole bloody town if she wanted, if it makes her happy" he explained, "Sell my bloody soul, if I still had one, to see you and her smiling"

"That's actually kinda beautiful" Buffy sighed as she leant in closer and kissed his lips.

They parted a moment later when Willow and Tara appeared, announcing the entrance of 'the one, the only, Annaliese'

Though he did wonder just how much cash the dress his daughter wore had set him back, Spike couldn't help be in awe, once again, at the sight of this girl, his precious little pet. In all his days, man and vampire, he'd never been so proud as he was now, staring at the young woman that he and Drusilla had managed to create, and that he and Buffy would always be there to cherish and protect.

Appropriately kind and complimentary words were spoken of Annaliese new outfit, and the girls were soon gossiping about clothes in general. It seemed only Spike caught the knock on the door with his finely tuned hearing and as it was daylight out he dispatched his daughter to answer it.

"Oh, Xander, and Anya" she greeted the pair she recognised from so many visions, and of course the photographs she'd seen since she was back here.

"Er, hi" Xander said nervously, "Is, er, Buffy home?" he asked, checking the numbers at the side of the door and seeing that they were indeed 1630 as they should be.

"Of course" the young woman smiled, despite the fact Anya was frowning hard at her, "Are you okay?"

"Well, frankly, no" the pregnant woman shook her head, "I for one would like to know who or what you are and why you're in Buffy and Spike's house, and also how you know our names when I have no idea who you are" she rambled as she was prone to doing sometimes, a trait she shared with her new husband, who was shockingly silent right now.

"I'm Annaliese" the girl smiled sweetly, "Spike's daughter" she prompted when they continued to look blank.

"But you were... and... how?" Xander asked, before his legs gave way from beneath him and he fell to the floor in a dead faint, the shock mixed with too many hours on a plane and so forth having finally taken their toll.

"What's going on?" Buffy asked as she hurried to the door.

"I think you should be telling us that" Anya snapped, "Just as soon as we wake up Xander. Honestly, I thought it was the woman who was prone to passing out during pregnancy" she huffed, "Did I read the book wrong again?"

All Buffy could do was bite her lip, stifling a laugh as Xander came to and looked up at her from the floor.

"Hey, Buff" he half-smiled, "Could you maybe tell good old Xander what on Earth is going on?" he asked her.

"It's kind of a long story" she admitted, as she helped him up, knowing any plans she'd had for the afternoon had just gone out of the window.

This really was a long and complicated story, but she didn't mind telling it. It seemed it was going to have a very happy ending.

_To Be Continued..._


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N : Thanx so much for all the awesome reviews:-) Now, a small jump forward in time to get us to this final, fairly short chapter, and thats it - The End! Hope you like:-)**

**_(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)_**

Chapter 10

"Mr and Mrs Harris, you have a beautiful baby boy" said the nurse as she handed the child to his mother.

"Oh my God" Anya gasped, breathing unevenly from the exertion of giving birth, and yet smiling widely at the sight of her own child.

"Hey there, junior" Xander smiled down on his son, "Ahn, I love you so much" he assured his wife then, kissing her temple.

Right now Xander Harris was sure he was the proudest man alive. Just as soon as he could bear to be parted from his wife and child, he pelted down the hospital corridor and burst into the waiting room where his friends all sat together; Buffy and Spike, Willow and Tara, Giles and the no longer possessed Doris, all holding onto the hands of their loved ones, jumping violently when the door suddenly flew open and Xander appeared.

"It's a boy! I have a boy! A son!" the young man gasped delightedly as his friends gathered around him, shaking hands, hugging, and kissing.

"Is Anya okay?" Buffy checked, hoping all had gone well.

"She's great, wonderful" Xander grinned, looking decidedly like he had a hanger in his mouth right now, "They're both perfect" he told them, with tears of joy glistening in his eyes, "I should get back to them, I... I'm a father!" he said joyously like he'd only just realised it, before running back down the hall towards Anya's room, sliding so much in his hurry that he almost fell on his butt twice before he even got to the door!

"I think he's a little over-excited" Willow laughed, and the others joined in.

"I should say so, yes" Giles agreed, "I would think it is a most excellent feeling" he mused, a hint of regret in his voice at the realisation he would likely never experience it.

"It's a bloody good feeling" Spike nodded in agreement, "Best in the world"

"Speaking of" Buffy said, looking up at him from under his arm where he was holding her close to him, "We should call Annie. She'll want to know about the baby"

Spike agreed, glad that it was dark out as he and Buffy headed outside in order to use his cell phone and call his daughter. She still lived with himself and Buffy most of the time but made regular visits to LA to visit Connor, just as he in turn came to stay at Revello Drive quite often.

This particular weekend, Annie, as they were all learning to call her, had gone to visit with Angel's crew, but since Anya's due date had been Friday, she made her Dad promise before she left that he would call the moment the baby came.

"Hey Dad" she answered on her own phone, having seen his name flash up.

"Hello, luv" he smiled as he did every time she called him that, so terribly proud to be not only a father in general, but a father to such an incredible young woman, "You havin' a nice time with Connor and Uncle Peaches?" he asked her.

"I heard that!" Angel snapped in the background, his finely tuned hearing picking up both ends of the conversation with ease.

"You were meant to, you old git" Spike yelled back, laughing into his response.

"Dad!" Annie reprimanded him lightly, as Buffy slapped him across the arm, giving him a warning look.

"When are you girls gonna learn, me and Angel have an understandin'. 'S a bit of fun is all" Spike assured them both, "Anyway, pet, had a reason for calling"

"Oh, is it Anya?" Annie asked excitedly, "Did the baby come?"

"Yes, sweetheart, the baby came" Spike told her, "Harris' have got themselves a son, all happy and healthy as far as we know"

"That's so great" the raven-haired girl enthused, "I'm so happy for them!"

"Want me to send your congratulations, luv?" he checked, and she was bouncing up and down on the spot as she told him that yes, she really did, plus Connor sent his best wishes too.

A few moments later when the pair said bye for now, Annie turned to Connor and threw her arms around him, hugging him tight.

"It's so wonderful" she said joyously, "I can't wait to see the baby"

"It is great" Connor agreed as he hugged her back.

When she finally stopped bouncing and they looked at each other, the strangest feeling passed between them. All their lives they'd known each other, grown up together, closer than any two people could be. Though they remained the best of friends, closer than most family members might be, things were different here in this world. They had seen a different way of life, they'd seen what love could be, love between men and women, those that would be both his parents and hers.

Out of the rags they wore as demon hunters in the hell dimension, they saw each other differently too. Over the weeks and months that had passed, they'd realised what they truly meant to each other, how they could be together in this new way.

"Connor" Annie breathed, "Do you... do you want to kiss me?" she asked shyly.

Uncertain as to whether she was offering him the chance or just trying to make out his thoughts, Connor didn't know what answer to give for the best. With no verbal response coming to mind, he went on instinct alone, something he had done all his life, though this particular manoeuvre was new to the both of them.

As he pressed his lips to hers, it felt to Annie like an electric bolt shot through her whole being, and all at once a hundred emotions pulsed through her. The thrill of fighting felt good, the wonder of finding her family again back in this world was amazing, but this was another feeling altogether. She wondered briefly if this was how Willow and Tara felt when they performed spells, pure magic pulsing through their veins, and then suddenly the moment was over.

"Wow" she gasped as air rushed back into her body.

"Yeah, definitely" Connor agreed with her less than literate reaction.

He had never felt anything like that either, and suddenly it was as if the world was different, as if he was different and Annie too, all in a good way, but definitely different.

"We could maybe do that again sometime" Annie suggested, feeling ridiculously shy suddenly.

"Yeah, we could do that" Connor agreed, also wondering why he suddenly didn't feel quite so comfortable as he usually did around the girl he had grown up in the company of.

They both plucked up the courage to meet each others eyes at last and that was all it took. Eyes met, and lips followed, as they enjoyed the new activity they had discovered together.

Nothing felt better.

"Should they be doing that" Angel whispered to Cordelia from their place on the balcony, watching Connor and Annaliese.

"Oh come on, Angel" she rolled her eyes, "It's not like they're really related" she reminded him, "And they're not exactly kids anymore"

"I guess not" the vampire sighed, as he looked down upon his teenage son and smiled, before turning to Cordelia, "Y'know maybe he has the right idea" he told her.

"Really?" she asked, hopefully, not really expecting this conversation to lead where she wanted it to.

Though the ex-cheerleader had always been full of herself, and not at all shy about telling anyone what she thought or felt, things were different here with Angel. Oh, he still got the sharp side of her tongue when necessary, she was not at all afraid to tell him when she thought he was wrong, or acting stupid, but when it came to their relationship, that she would not venture too many opinions on. It wasn't fair to push him, not the way things stood. They couldn't be together in the true physical sense, the temptation just wasn't worth the risk, but if they just had some kind of contact, if he could just admit he felt something…

"Cordelia" he said softly, and her name had never sounded so sweet and he stepped in closer to her and whispered against her lips, "I love you" he admitted as he finally kissed her.

It was all she'd wanted for so long now.

Finally, everything was perfect.

* * *

"Everything's working out pretty perfectly" Buffy smiled as she and Spike headed back into the hospital, his arm around her shoulders, and hers around his waist.

"Not looking so bad from where I'm standing, luv" he agreed, "Who'd've thought, eh? You and me, a daughter, friends and all"

"Would've seemed pretty crazy a couple of years ago, when I had you tied to a chair for Thanksgiving" she remembered with a smirk.

"You ever feel like getting kinky like that again, Slayer, you feel free" he smirked back at her.

"Eeew, Spike" her expression was a picture as she batted him across the arm with her hand, "Sometimes you are so gross"

"But you love me anyway" he said confidently, as he spun her around suddenly and pinned her to the wall by the waiting area where their friends were.

"I really do" she agreed, as they kissed each other hungrily right there in the hallway.

Life, and unlife, were good right now, and whatever else the world chose to throw at them in the future, Buffy and Spike would deal. They had each other, plus family and friends on their side.

No power in the verse could stop them.

-The End-


End file.
